This invention relates to embroidery designs of the Schiffli type which are heat-sealed to a supporting article, such as a garment. More particulary, the invention relates to a new and improved Schiffli embroidery wherein the top surface is made from the bobbin yarn and the bottom surface is made from the needle yarn, and wherein a degradable backing material is disposed between the top surface and the bottom surface of the embroidery.
Embroidered designs have gained tremendous popularity in recent years. They have been used for the purpose of decorating many different kinds of articles of clothing, such as shirts, intimate apparel, etc., as well as textile fabrics, such as bed linens, towels, and the like.
At present, there are several known ways in which articles are decorated with embroidery. The first method is by direct embroidery. According to this method, the embroidery design is stitched directly into the article while the article is produced on a loom. Although this method produces an embroidery design which lasts the longest, this method suffers from several disadvantages. First, it requires the use of very capital intensive equipment. Second, there is a limitation on the number of embroideries that can be produced at a time. Thus, it is impractical to produce large numbers of embroidery designs in a short amount of time. Third, there will always be a number of damaged garments or pieces inherent in this process.
The other methods of embroidering articles seek to overcome the shortcomings of direct embroidery. According to these methods, the embroidery designs are mass produced as separate items and thereafter attached to the garment or textile fabric. Thus, individual designs may be embroidered on a suitable background of fabric and then cut to exact size before being secured to the garment or fabric by sewing. Sewing, however, is a time consuming, expensive operation. Accordingly, efforts have been made to secure embroideries to garments o fabrics by the use of thermoplastic adhesives. Several techniques have been described in the prior art for adhesively securing embroideries to a support fabric.
An example of one such technique for heat-sealing an 20 embroidery to an article is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,463,692 (Brunner). According to this patent, an embroidery is produced in which the front or needle thread is made from a conventional natural or synthetic yarn, and the rear or bobbin thread is made from a thermoplastic material. The front thread is carried through a design fabric by the needle, looped around the bobbin thread, and pulled out of the design fabric. Bonding or fusing of the embroidered design to the support fabric, such as a garment, is accomplished by placing the embroidery onto the supporting fabric and subjecting the assembly to the heat and pressure of an electric heat-sealing machine. High temperatures created within the thermoplastic bobbin yarn cause it to melt and to bond with the fibers of the supporting fabric.
According to another technique described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,567,567 (Sherrill), an embroidered applique includes a top surface made from a conventional yarn, and a bottom surface made from a composite yarn. The composite yarn is comprised of two plied strands, one of which has a relatively low fusion temperature while the other has a much higher fusion temperature. When the embroidery design is applied to a supporting fabric and is subjected to heat and pressure, the strand of the composite yarn with the low fusion point becomes sufficiently soft to move into the interstices of the supporting fabric and thus adhesively secure the embroidery design to the supporting fabric. In the meantime, the strand of the composite yarn with the high fusion point remains intact and adds structural integrity to the embroidery design.
It is also known in the art to produce embroidery on a degradable backing material. U.S. Pat. No. 1,171,154 (Stern) discloses a method for preparing an embroidery on perishable backing material. The backing material is made from cotton and is treated with a weak solution of sulfuric acid. A design is embroidered onto the backing material. The design and backing material are then sewn onto a supporting fabric. Upon application of heat, the backing material degrades and may be brushed away. The backing material serves the dual purposes of supporting and displaying the design while exposed for sale, and enabling the design to be readily and accurately placed on the supporting fabric when it is permanently secured thereto.
Other prior art patents which disclose related techniques include U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,517,910 (Jalowsky); 3,252,484 (Mayer et al.); 3,657,060 (Haigh); 2,765,814 (Jordan); and 2,714,758 (Woodson).
None of the techniques described in the prior art is entirely satisfactory. For example, the technique disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,463,692 (Brunner) does not provide an embroidery which maintains structural integrity. Once the bobbin thread is fused into the supporting fabric, the embroidery is weakened. As a result, there is a limitation on the size of the embroidery which may be applied to a supporting fabric by this technique.
The technique described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,567,567 (Sherrill) seeks to overcome this shortcoming by providing a bottom surface of the embroidery formed from two-plied strands, only one of which fuses into the supporting fabric. However, the technique described in this patent does not permit accurate control of the amount of adhesive and carrier yarn. Furthermore, the tensioning on the embroidery machine is inaccurate.
Another shortcoming of the prior art is that it does not provide for automatically aligning the disparate elements of an embroidery comprising separated elements. Thus, it is necessary to realign the separated elements of an embroidery design when they are transferred to the supporting fabric. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to overcome the deficiencies of prior art processes.
In particular, it is an object of the present invention to provide an embroidery design adapted to be heat-sealed to another article wherein the design may be of a large size.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an embroidery design adapted to be heat-sealed to another article wherein the structural integrity of the design is maintained after heat-sealing.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an embroidery design adapted to be heat-sealed to another article wherein the design is stitched onto a degradable backing material.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an embroidery design wherein separated elements of the design are transferred in place to the supporting fabric.